Presence

“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” (Gerard Manley Hopkins)
I dwell for a moment on the presence of God around me,
in every part of my body,
and deep within my being.

Freedom

Thank You God for my freedom.
May I use this gift to do what I can
for those who are oppressed or burdened.

Consciousness

God, in Your loving presence I unwind the past day,
starting from now and looking back, moment by moment.
I gather in all the goodness and light, in gratitude.
I attend to the shadows and what they say to me,
seeking Your healing, insight, and forgiveness.

The Word of God

¹⁸While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. ²⁰Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, ²¹for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” ²²Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that moment. ²³When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, ²⁴he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. ²⁵But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. ²⁶And the report of this spread through all of that district.

Inspiration

This synagogue official showed great faith in Jesus’ power, even to restore life to the dead. His faith was rewarded when Jesus took the little girl by the hand and gave her back to her parents. In the gospels, when Jesus takes people by the hand, a great healing follows. We ask our Lord to take us by the hand and lead us.

Conversation

Dear Jesus, I can open up my heart to You.
I can tell You everything that troubles me.
I know You care about all the concerns in my life.
Teach me to live in the knowledge
that You who care for me today,
will care for me tomorrow and all the days of my life.

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Amen